There are various types of guitar strings to suit various guitar classifications, genres, and playing styles. Strings cover everything from arpeggios to ripping rock riffs, sultry jazz to foot-stomping rhythm guitar.
Beginning with the traditional classical guitar, nylon strings have long since supplanted catgut as the preferred guitar string. Catgut, unlike nylon, is easily broken and does not hold a pitch for long periods of time. Classical strings are available in a variety of tensions to suit various playing styles and genres. Silver or bronze bass strings can be wrapped, with different tonal qualities for each. Trebles come in three varieties: clear, black (sometimes red), and rectified, each with its own sound.
Bronze and brass strings made of copper, tin, or zinc are used on acoustic guitars, including acoustic bass guitars. The ratio affects the string’s tone, required tension, and other characteristics such as playability and resistance to skin oils and humidity. Acoustic guitar strings are available in a variety of gauges (diameters). Lighter gauge strings are faster and easier to play, while thicker or heavier gauge strings have more volume and brilliance. Light gauge strings are popular for jazz and lead guitar, but they’re also a good choice for beginners, those who need to re-build calluses after a period of inactivity, and those who only play once in a while.
Stainless steel, nickel-plated steel, and pure nickel are used to make electric guitar strings. Because electric guitar pickups require strings made of magnetic alloys, bronze and brass strings (as mentioned above) are not suitable for use on these instruments. Surface wrappings on electric guitar strings, such as flat-wound strings or ground-wound or Teflon®-coated strings on electric bass strings, can affect playability and tone. There are a variety of gauges available to suit everyone from lead to rhythm, bluegrass to jazz.
Bass guitars are available in a variety of “scales,” or lengths, measured from nut to bridge. Short, medium, long, and extra long scales are available for bass guitar strings.